Floor clip



April 6,19%` c. E. R'oTHFucHs 2,439,220

` FLOOR CLIP Filed Feb. 8, 1946 v ,Hq Mul llllinumn 7m 5 Le* 7gJ7 L w 20 A5 Patented Apr. 6', 1948 vUNITI-:D STATES PATENT OFFICE FLooR CLIP Oscar E. Rothfuchs, Michigan City, Ind., assignor to Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application February 8,' 1946, Serial No. `646,319

V9 claims. (cl. `139-35) This invention relates to floor securing devices of the general type utilized in railway cars -for securing a wooden `floor to a metallic underframe and adapted removably to secure such floors to the longitudinal members of the underframes without perforation of such members by the securing means.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an improved floor clip of increased strength, adapted rigidly to apply the clamping pressures necessary to the proper installation of the wooden floors in railway cars without distortion under the pressure applied by the secur ing means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a oor clip for attachment of wooden floors to metal frame members in which the terminal portion of the clip engaging the iloor is 'provided with inherent means penetrating the wooden floor to prevent rotation of the clip and having means for limiting such penetration.v

An important object of the invention is the provision of a oor clip constructedv from a metal blank of such section that upon formation of the clip, the prongs for penetrating the oor and the means for limiting such penetration are automatically formed as. an yintegral part thereof. The rloor clip is of such constructionV and so formed as readily to be fabricated upon'automatic machines intended for the purpose, and adapted to be constructed, preferably, in a single operation.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the arrangement illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which I Fig. 1 is a general perspective view illustrating a wooden iloorboard as used in railway box car construction, supported upon a Z bar Stringer member of the metal underframe, with the iloor clip of this invention in position to engage beneath the uppermost flange ofthe Stringer memberand upwardly offset terminal portion of the clip engaged against the underside of the floor, with the securing bolt and nut in position for insertion through the oorboard and clip at a point between the edge of upper ange of the Stringer member and the oiiset portion` of the clip;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectionalview through a portion of a car iioor showing the device as used in connection with a metal angle member to which the iioor is secured, with the clip, member engaged beneath the horizontal flange against which and the iioor the clip is clamped by the securing bolt and nut, with the floor penetrating prongs of the clip shown entered within the floor, and such penetration limited by the horizontal ange at this terminal portion of the clip;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional v iew similar to Fig. 2 but showing the oor and securing clip member as applied in connection with a channel shaped underframe sill member in which the upper horizontal ange of the sill member is tapered and the floor clip correspondingly shaped to the same contour for engagement therewithwithout disturbing the normal engagement of the oiset portion of the clip with the underside of the floor;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan vewof one form of the oor clip of this invention in which -theclip is formed from a commercial rolled channel member, and clearly revealing that formation of the clip whereby the `cutting of the blank member forming the clip at one end provides the next adjacent clip `with a correspondingly contoured end portion;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of a commercial channel type of iioor clip illustratedfin Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view similar to Fig. 4 but illustrating the floor clip as constructed from a plate member pressed in the form of a channel from which the clip is fabricated, the clip shown being of the type for engaging a, tapered flange of a supporting member as illustrated in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is an end elevationalview of the pressed metal oor clip illustrated in Fig. 6.

In the drawings, I0 represents a wooden floor member as used in railway box cars, and illustrated in Fig. 1 as supported upon a longitudinally extending Z-shaped Stringer member II. The lloor is adapted to be secured to `the stringer member by means of a clip member I2 engaging the underside of upper horizontal flange I3 of` the Stringer to clamp the ange between the clip and under surface of theoor by means of the pressure applied by a securing bolt I4 and lock nut I5. Any Suitable type of lock nut may be used for ,the purpose. The floor clip I2 is of channel shaped formation, as best shown in the detail illustrations represented in Figs. 4 to?, and is appliedwith the anges lIiof the clip directed upwardly to provide spaced engaging portions at one end ofthe clip in contact with `the underside of the Stringer member and similarlyfspaced engaging portions at the opposite end of the clip against the underside of the floor. These latter iloor engaging portions, bearing cornerwise against the oor, are designed to penetrate the door suiliciently to prevent the clip from rotating to draw the assembly to nal position.

The floor clip, `as best shown in Figs. 1 to 3. is

constructed in one piece and is bent upwardly at I1 to provide the floor engaging portions having upwardly directed flanges with the end edges of .the flanges perpendicular to the inclined web portion, and due to this upward inclination of the clip member, the flanges I6 are adapted, inherently, from the section used, to form upwardly directed corner portions providing prongs i8 which, bearing cornerwise against the underside of the floor, enter the floorboards when the securing nut I is tightened to prevent rotation of the clip during this operation. Penetration of the floor by the Iprongs I8 is limited through the medium of an integral flange I9 formed on the clip member at the time it is cut to length by providing the web portion 2| of vgreater length than the flanges I6 and disposing the flange thus formed horizontally for parallel engagement with the undersurface of the floor. In the installation of the clip, when this flange I9 comes in contact with the underside of the floor, it acts as a positive limit stop to any further penetration of the floor by the prong portion I8 so that additional tightening of the nut I5 will serve to apply greater clamping pressure on the underframe member more securely to fasten the floor relative to the underframe.

The clip member is provided with an opening 20 in its web portion 2I for the reception of the securing bolt IIi, and to facilitate manufacture of the device in automatic machinery, the two ends of the clip, it will be noted, are of similarly shaped contour, so that where the projecting flange I9 is provided at the one end for limiting penetration of the rotation-preventing prongs I8 into the floor, the other end is provided with a recess 22 to the same inner contour as the outer contour of the flange I 9 with the spaced flanges I6 affording the sole means of contact with the underside of the flange I3 on the Stringer member. Thus it will be seen that in the manufacture of the clips from a metal blank of the proper cross section, a single cut finishes off the end of one clip and at the same 'time provides the finished end of the next adjacent clip. It is then necessary only to provide the bolt hole 20 and bend the clip to provide the upward inclination I'I and the horizontal disposition ofthe flange I9. All of this cutting of the clip, punching and bending', may be performed in a single operation by the use `of suitable automatic machinery.

It will be noted that the bolt I4, passing through the floor I0, penetrates the clip member at a point outside the area of the flange I3 of the runderframe member, but inwardly of the offset portion I'I of the clip,-so `that the full pressure to be lapplied by the bolt may be realizedin the clamping pressure to be exerted by the floor clip against the flange I3 of the underframe member.

. In Fig. 2, the clip is shown as applying clamping pressure on thel horizontal flange of an angle member23 forming part of the underframe structure lto secure the floor II! thereto. In this figure the function of the prongs I8 and that of the flange I9 is clearly revealed; the flange serving positively to prevent penetration of the prongs within the floor beyond the predetermined amount shown.

In Fig. 3, the clip is similar in its application to those lshown in Figs. 1 and 2, but is provided with a downwardly inclined portion 24 at the terminal portion thereof adapted to engage the'sloping 4 underside of the sill member 25. Provision of thi additional inclinedportion in the clip prevents undue canting thereof as the lock nut I5 is drawn up, and thereby insures proper engagement of the prongs I8 and the limiting flange I9 with the underside of the floor I0.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a floor securing clip of channel formation having upwardly directed flanges adapted at respectively opposite ends of the clip to engage an underframe member and to be imbedded in the underside of the floor, with means for limiting penetration of the oor; of simple design, and adapted readily for fabrication in mass production by means of automatic machinery with a minimum of operations, and which is stronger than similarclips heretofore provided while retaining lightness of weight.

What is claimed is:

l. A floor clip comprising a channel shaped member having a web and upwardly directed flanges, said clip having an upwardly inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges with the end edges of said flanges perpendicular to the inclined web portion to form upwardly directed corner portions providing prongs, .and a'horizontally projecting flange member integral with the clip at the base of said prongs.

2. A floor clip comprising a channel shaped member having a web portion and upwardly directed flanges, said flanges at one end extending beyond the web of the channel member to provide one terminalportion of the clip and said web extending beyond the flanges at the other end of the channel to provide the opposite terminal portion, a bolt opening in theweb portion, said web and flanges extending from the first terminal portion beyond said bnlt opening and having an upwardly inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges with the end edges of said flanges perpendicular to the inclined webV portion to form upwardly directed corner portions providing prongs, and said web extending beyond the flanges being disposedl substantially parallel to the web adjacent the bolt opening.

3. A floor clip comprising a channel shaped member having a web portion and upwardly directed flanges, said flanges at one end extending beyond the web of the channel member to provide one terminal portion of the clip and said web extending beyond the flanges at the other end of the channel to provide the opposite terminal portion, said flanges extending beyond the web being offset in a downwardly inclined direction, a bolt opening in the web portion, said web and flanges extending from the first terminal portion beyond said bolt opening and having an .upwardly inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges withthe end edges of said flanges perpendicular to the inclined web portion to form upwardly .directed corner portions providing prongs, and said web extending beyond -the flanges being disposed substantially parallel to the web adjacentthe bolt opening. Y

4. In a floor clip for securing together a sill and a oorboardsupported thereby, a channel shaped member. having a horizontally disposed web and vertically extending flanges, an opening in the web for receiving a bolt to clamp the sill between said clip and floorboard, said clip havf ing an upwardly inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges with the end edges of said flanges perpendicular to the inclined web portion to form upwardly directed comer por- 5 tions providing prongs, and means for limiting the penetration of said prongs into the door.

5. A ioor clip comprising a channel shaped member having a web and vertically disposed flanges. said clip having an upwardly inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges with the end edges of said flanges perpendicular to the inclined web portion to form upwardly directed corner portions providing prongs, and a horizontally disposed flange integral with the channel member at the-base of said prongs.

6. A floor clip fabricated from a commercial Vrolled channel member comprising a horizontally disposed web and vertically disposed anges, said clip having an upwardly inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges with the end edges of said flanges perpendicular to the in clined` web portion to form upwardly directed corner portions providing prongs, and an offset portion of said'web disposed horizontally at the base of said prongs.

7. A iloor clip fabricated strom a pressed channel shaped plate member comprising a horizontally dlspdsed web and vertically disposed flanges, said clip having an upwardw inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges with the end edges' of said flanges perpendicular to the inclined web portion to form upwardly directed corner portions providing prongs, an an `oil'set portion oi' said web disposed horizontally at the base of said prongs.

8. A iloor clip comprising a channel shaped member including a. web and upwardly directed flanges, said clip being provided with an upwardly inclined portion having upwardly directed flanges withthe end edges of said flanges perpendicular to the inclined web portion to form upwardly REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

` UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,797,214 Mayer et al Mar. 17,l 1931 1,922,814 MacLean Aug. 15, 1933 2,234,231 Campbell et al Mar. 11, 1941 2,253,916 Richardson s Aug. 26, 1941 

